Trading Shoes
by Scarlet Pikachu
Summary: Something's wrong with Mirror Mew. Sola has an idea on how to fix it, but will it work? I used a song from Eminem in the first chapter because it was a perfect fit.
1. Misery and an Agreement

She felt as though everything was wrong. She pulled at her fur, tugged the hairs roughly, and scratched at her neck. It was as if she was too hot, like she had a furious rash, but the problem was she knew what was wrong with herself, and knew more was to come.

Her eyes kept releasing tears, which only frustrated her more. Her legs felt bare, as if all of her fur had suddenly fallen out. Her head was numb, brain numb as well. No matter how hard she tried everything just hit her numb mind and kept going, leaving no imprint. She felt nonexistent.

The urge to do something rash in order to escape rose inside her. She wanted to tear into her arm, bite down into the flesh until she awoke from this mania. Her eyes started shifting rapidly from left to right before she knew it. Uncontrollable actions took over and she fidgeted more and more as the seconds ticked by. She needed to escape, but how? Everything was fine; the only thing wrong at the moment was herself. She felt like a disruptance, a ripple of annoying repetition.

She kept whining and fidgeting and suddenly she felt like a whole bunch of bugs were swarming and biting her skin, it freaked her out too. Then everything felt compact as if the walls were closing in, but not like cubicle size compact, Rubik cube compact. Then it got really fuzzy.

Then, without her having enough time to assess the feeling better, it vanished. Her paws that she didn't remember clenching unclenched and she gazed around uncertainly. Had it been real? Or had she just imagined it? She had been hallucinating a lot lately. Was this what it felt like when you were going insane?

Before she could ponder it anymore another, stronger feeling snaked across her mind and ran down her spine. Her mouth went dry, her eyes grew small and dim and her mind reeled. . . .

_000_

'_Mirror Mew,' _Sola called. It had been almost a whole week since the Mew had heard from her alter ego, the first few days had gone by without her noticing, but on the fifth day she'd begun to miss the Mew's wise cracks. She shut her eyes before mentally screaming, _'Mirror Mew, answer me!'_ But there was nothing, not a single reply. Looking around she noticed an empty void where Mirror Mew usually inhabited her mind. _'Is she gone? No, she can't b; I can still sense her presence.' _She whined.

**Lately I've been hard to reach  
I've been too long on my own  
Everyone has a private world  
Where they can be alone  
Are you calling me, are you trying to get through**

**Are you reaching out for me, and I'm reaching out for you **

Meanwhile said Mew was lying down in an area that resided deep into the recesses of Sola's mind. Mirror Mew heard Sola call out. She raised her head, but lowered it after a few seconds. She didn't want the good Mew to see her so saddened. She'd been down there for so long fighting her inner demons. She wanted nothing more than to see Sola, but she was afraid to let her better half see her in such a deep depression.

**I'm just so fu-ckin' depressed  
I just can seem to get out this slump  
If I could just get over this hump  
But I need something to pull me out this dump  
I took my bruises, took my lumps  
Fell down and I got right back up  
But I need that spark to get psyched back up**

Sola paced around. Where was Mirror Mew hiding at? Why wasn't she responding? Was her alter ego hurt? A thousand thoughts worried her mind and she felt her concern rise.

She decided that she'd delve deeper into her mind, perhaps the other Mew was hiding from her. She found that the deeper she went the less likely it was that Mirror Mew would be there, but she continued nonetheless. It took a lot of concentration, but, as it was her mind, it was easier for Sola to navigate around. After all, she knew Mirror Mew inhabited one part of her mind while she inhabited the other.

When she first came to Mirror Mew's half she noticed a chill in the air. Not quite as familiar with the territory, she slowed down and began to pay close attention to everything around her. She scanned the darkness, looking for even the slightest hint of Mirror Mew's presence. She caught small wisps of her aura and used them like a scent trail in hopes that it would aid her in her search.

When she caught sight of a dark orchid purple she knew she'd found what she'd been looking for. There lay Mirror Mew, tail curled around her body and paws covering her face. Sola reached out, placing a paw upon Mirror Mew's shoulder. "Mirror Mew, I knew I'd find you eventually. Where have you been?" She asked.

Her other side brushed her questions off and shook her still hidden head. _"Go away, Twain."_

Sola shook her head. "And leave you here to suffer, never."

Mirror Mew sat upright, her paws still hiding her face. Sola reached out and grabbed a paw, and tried to pull it away from her alter ego's face. "Why are you hiding Mirror Mew? What are you keeping from me?"

The female jerked her hand back. _"Nothing!"_ she hissed, _"Now leave me alone, Twain!"_

"Not until I find out what you've been doing."

"_No,"_ She replied stubbornly.

Sola sighed deeply and then pleaded, "Please, Mirror Mew."

Her darker half hesitated, mulling over the Mew's words. Finally she twitched. _"Fine then,"_ said Mew said lowering her paws away from her face. Her eyes were tightly closed, but when she opened them Sola noticed how bloodshot they looked.

**I don't know how I pry away  
And I ended up in this position I'm in  
I starting to feel distant again  
So I decided just to beat this pain  
Up and tried to make an attempt to vent  
But I just can't admit  
Or come to grips, with the fact that  
I need a new outlet **

"Mirror Mew," Sola gasped. "What have you been doing all this time?"

"_Nothing really. I can't seem to sleep lately though. And I've just been lonely, it gets boring being cooped up inside your mind all the time, but it's not like you understand or care."_

"I'll have you know that I _do_ care!" Sola hollered back at her. "We were one once, and I remember everything, all the pain, all the highs and lows." She felt the air around her still and noticed Mirror Mew eying her expectantly.

**I know some shits so hard to swallow  
And I just can't sit back and wallow  
In my own sorrow  
But I know one fact  
I'll be one tough act to follow  
One tough act to follow  
One tough act to follow  
Here today, gone tomorrow  
But you have to walk a thousand miles **

"_Then what do you think about it? Hmm, what solutions can you came up with to my dilemma?" _

Sola crossed her arms and thought. _'What can I do? I don't want her to be so sad, but I don't know what I can do to cheer her up- Oh! There's that, but should I really . . . ? Why not, she has proven herself before, and besides, if it doesn't work I'll just intervene.' _She gazed at Mirror Mew carefully before speaking, "How about we trade shoes?"

**Walk my shoes, just to see  
What it's like, to be me  
I'll be you, let's trade shoes  
Just to see what I'd be like to  
Feel your pain, you feel mine  
Go inside each other's mind  
Just to see what we find  
Looking shit through each other's eyes **

Mirror Mew's eyes widened. _"What did you just say?"_

Sola smiled and said it once more, "I said how about we trade shoes with each other. You know, like what we did when we fought Gillian, only this time you'll spend the time relaxing instead of fighting. I'll trade places with you and you can do what I do."

Mirror Mew shook her head. _"I can't do that,"_

"Huh, what do you mean you can't, why not?" Sola replied baffled.

_"Because, I can't be you, I'm just too different. Alice and Puccha will know something's wrong instantly."_

The Mew waved her off. "Of course you can be me; you _are _me, a separate part of me, but me nonetheless."

_"But-" _Mirror Mew started, but was cut off.

"No buts!" Sola interrupted suddenly. She took a deep breath before adding, "I'll even coach you if you'd like. Here, look at me and smile. That's it, see, things aren't impossible."

She nodded. _"You're right, he, I guess it would be a change of pace, but what if I mess up, what if I'm tempted?"_ at the last part the Mew suppressed a shudder. _"I've been remembering what I- err we used to do, I see that things got a little- well a lot out of paw back then. And I'm not willing to transgress back to that way ever again. But sometimes the temptation is so strong I don't know if I can resist."_

Sola reached out and patted Mirror Mew on the shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll keep you in line."

"_How, Twain, how? You know I can be a little bit crazy."_

"Yes," she agreed, "but I think- no, I know I can help keep you in line, all it will take is a little bit of faith in ourselves and some practice. We'll start out with short swaps and work our way up, how does that sound?"

Mirror Mew gazed at Sola with pure awe, tears flowed down her cheeks. _"You really have that much faith in me?"_

A nod and a warm smile from Sola, "Yes,"

"_Thank you, Twa- err Sola."_

Sola suddenly got this weird look on her face, Mirror Mew had called her by her name for the first time! But it didn't sound right. She scowled and grasped the Mew's paws. "No," she declared boldly. "Call me Twain, not Sola. I am your Twain after all."

Mirror Mew flushed before nodding her head furiously. _"Yes! You're right; it just doesn't feel right calling you by any other name. I agree. You'll always be my Twain!"_ She replied happily.

* * *

Been awhile, eh?

I'm posting this from school.

You know what I want (and if you don't . . . it starts with and r and ends with a w. Hint, hint).

Also, I only own my characters. The lyrics belong to Eminem.


	2. Trading Shoes

"Hey, Sola, could you come help me with something?" Alice called.

"That's your cue, Mirror Mew," Sola said with a smile.

"_What? Wait, I can't she'll notice the difference immediately!"_ Mirror Mew declared as she shook her head.

"No she won't, and besides, this will be perfect practice for you. Go on, you'll be great." She made a pushing gesture.

"_Oh my goodness, you're really serious!"_ Mirror Mew exclaimed.

"Of course I am, now go."

Mirror Mew shook her head furiously, but Sola stood firm. "Our voices sound almost exactly alike. Only our appearances look different, and that's not too noticeable anyway. It will only be for a little while, and besides, Alice might not even look at you."

With an exasperated sigh Mirror Mew threw her paws down. _"Fine, but I'll only trade places for a few minutes. Is that a deal?"_

"It's a deal." They shook hands and then Sola stepped back, allowing Mirror Mew to take her place at the front of her mind.

Mirror Mew sighed nervously and opened her eyes; her pale blue orbs glanced around the inside of Sola's room before she heard Alice call her.

"Sola, did you hear me?"

Quickly regaining control of her thoughts she replied, "Yeah, I heard you, I'll be right there!" She turned and left her room, bounded down the stairs, she paused. "Uh, where are you?" She called out, having no clue which room Alice would be in at the moment.

"The laundry room." Alice called back.

Mirror Mew, having forgotten which room that was, felt fortunate that she was close enough to pinpoint the exact room from which Alice's voice came from. She headed that way and saw Alice pulling out clothes from the dryer and putting them into a laundry basket that was much like the one she used as a bed. "What do you need help with?" She asked.

Alice didn't look up, she just gestured towards the basket. "Would you be a dear and help me fold these?"

"Uh, sure," she replied. Mirror Mew didn't need to be guided to do the folding, she had the knack for housework, even though she had never been fond of it. She recalled how unorganized she'd once been. _'So many things I should've gotten done, but never really got around to doing.' _She thought wistfully to herself.

Once she'd finished folding the clothes she piled them back inside the basket. "There, I'm done." She declared wiping her paws in a nervous fashion.

"Thank you, Sola." Alice said, finally glancing up to look at her. Mirror Mew turned her head away and scratched at the back of her head nervously. "Uh, no problem," She replied.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked suddenly and Mirror Mew froze before gradually loosening up and calming herself.

"Sure I am," She replied. _'Twain!' _She called mentally.

"_Yes?" _The good Mew replied.

'_Swap places with me.'_

She knew the Mew was unwilling just by the silence that answered her. _"Nope, you've still got a few minutes left."_

Damnit, she should've known that she would not avoid any confrontation so easily! What the hell was she going to do now?

"Sola?" Alice said and Mirror Mew knew she would have to handle things herself.

"I'm fine, Alice, really I am." She said in a forced cheery tone.

"Okay, if you say so," the human replied and shrugged her shoulders. "You want to go play with Puccha now?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." Mirror Mew replied nodding her head furiously.

"Well, he's outside."

"Alright then," She said as she took off for the door.

Alice chuckled nervously to herself. "That Mew is full of secrets," she sighed almost sadly, "I just hope she tells us more about her past someday." With that she went back to dealing with the laundry.

0

The Mew eased out of the Poké-door, careful not to hit her head. Guardian, how did Sola do things so well? Even the simplest of tasks took a few seconds to orientate herself before she could do it properly. Perhaps the fat that she's been caged up so long was the cause of her uncoordinated fumbles.

She glanced around, looking for the slightest hint of Puccha. She caught sight of the male, his back was to her and he was looking up at the long branches of a tree wistfully. She summoned up her courage and walked up. "Hey Puccha,"

"Hey Sola," the male replied, not looking away from the tree.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking," He stated blankly.

"Looking at what?" She asked, her head tilted as she tried to understand what was so interesting.

"I'm not sure; I think there's a bird's nest up there. I'm watching to see if any Pokémon come back."

She sighed, but then her eyes caught on a retreating figure. With an in held snarl she turned her attention upon it. "I'll be right back." she growled and took after the figure.

"Sure thing," Puccha relied, not even taking his eyes away from the tree.

Mirror Mew dashed along, her two large feet pounding against the ground. Pacing herself, she made sure the figure didn't realize it was being followed. She crept along. And when she caught sight of the yellow notched tail she could even hear Sola growling. It rounded a bend, and she followed suit. The Pokémon, realizing it had hit a dead end, glanced about before turning around. The female Pikachu gasped and took a few steps back.

"Y-you!" Gillian exclaimed in a terrified voice, her whole entire body shook as she recognized the pale blue-eyed Mew. Her ears pulled down in a sign of pure fear.

"Yes," Mirror Mew growled, "it's me, now what are you doing hanging around my best friend?!" The blood pumping through her body became stuffed with adrenaline. She'd be damned if Gillian would commit the same crime once more!

Gillian shook her head wildly. "Friend?"

The Mew stepped forward, backing the Pikachu into a corner. "Puccha,"

Blanching, Gillian began to sob. "Please Dark Mew, have mercy. I was just thinking about him when I saw him. I wasn't going to do anything, I swear!"

Sola chuckled, _"Dark Mew? That's quite a name you've got, Mirror Mew!" _Mirror Mew grinned inwardly, but quickly grew angry again. She reached out, pinning the Pikachu's arms to the brick wall. "Liar, what reason do you have to think about him if you weren't up to something?!"

Gillian shrunk away, having no where to go, she merely made herself smaller. "I was just thinking about how sorry I was, I-"

"Sorry? You? Don't give me any Taurosshit!" She roared, pressing roughly into the flesh on Gillian's arm.

The female cried out and Mirror Mew's eyes narrowed. _"You're going a bit too far, Mirror Mew." _Sola chided but was instantly silenced. _'A bit too hard on her? The hell I am! Remember Twain; she's the one who did all those terrible things to Puccha!'_

Gillian cried out and spoke as if she'd read Mirror Mew's mind. "It's true. I'll admit that I was wrong for doing those things to Puccha. And after you interfered with me when I was using Puccha, I realized how messed up I was. After all that I couldn't help but still find him attracting, he's the first Pokémon who ever liked me for me. I'm sorry, please, Dark Mew, can you forgive me?" She pleaded.

Mirror Mew glared at her, looking for any sign of falsity in the Pikachu's words, but she couldn't find any. She eased up, letting the female move about freely. Gillian rubbed at her arms and wiped at her eyes.

"Very well, I'll believe you, but let's get one thing straight."

"Yes?" Gillian replied.

"Puccha's mine, okay, mine and mine alone."

The Pikachu's gaze drifted to her feet. "I had a feeling you'd say that, I knew how you felt about him from the moment I first saw you." She said, ears perking up a bit.

_"Times up," _Sola chimed. _'About time.' _Mirror Mew retorted, as she closed her eyes and bounded into the recesses of Sola's mind, letting the good Mew take over. When she opened her eyes they were the dark blue that they'd been since the day she'd ended her addiction. She gazed at the Pikachu, who instantly relaxed.

"I'm glad you've come to reasoning, Gillian." She said with a smile as she nodded at the Pikachu.

". . . You . . . changed." She murmured in a confused tone.

"Yeah, I'll explain it to you later. How would you like to hang out with us sometime?" Sola asked eagerly.

"Really, you'd accept me just like that, even after all I've done?"

"Sure, I can tell that there's good in you. I wouldn't accept you if there wasn't." Sola replied and reached out with a paw.

" . . . "Gillian gawped.

"You know how to shake?" Sola asked.

A nod.

"Then shake," she urged.

With great hesitance the Pikachu reached out and finally grasped the offered paw. She then shook it, beaming a weak smile that was beamed back tenfold.

"Now we're friends."

"Really?" Gillian asked. "Am I even friends with the Dark Mew?" She added with a shiver.

Mirror Mew snorted, _"Not likely." _Sola rolled her eyes. "Yes, even the Dark Mew accepts you as a friend; just don't do anything to get on her bad side."

"Oh, I won't!" Gillian exclaimed with a twitch.

"So, where do you live?" The Mew asked.

Gillian's ears drooped once more and she gave a sad sigh. "You're looking at it, all the land is my home. I wander from here to there in search of a home."

"I don't see why someone like you can't find a home. Hmm, I seem to recall Alice talking about someone next door who- that's it!" She pantomimed snapping her fingers and grabbed Gillian by the paw before dashing off. The Pikachu stumbled and tried to keep up. "Where are you taking me?" She called, but Sola wouldn't reply. Luckily the Pikachu managed not to stumble as she was led.

When they arrived at the front of a house, Sola gestured wildly. "The lady inside has been looking for someone to keep her company for ages."

"So?" The Pikachu replied blankly.

Sola shoved her forward. "Go see if she'll accept you."

"But I'm too plain," Gillian whined.

"Just do it!" Sola urged roughly.

"Fine," she sighed and walked up before knocking. A voice called, "Hold on, I'm coming!" And she heard footsteps. Moments later the door opened. "Yes?"

"Uh, hi," She eeped out in a tiny voice.

The lady glanced down before smiling widely. "Why aren't you precious, come inside and tell me about yourself."

Gillian nodded and stepped inside.

When she didn't come back outside Sola knew she'd been accepted. With a smile she headed home. Puccha was still staring at the tree, but this time there was a Pidgey in the tree. He glanced up when she was close. "Hey, Sola, you missed it, this Pidgey built a nest."

"That's nice Puccha; I'm going to head inside now."

"Okay."

As soon as she was inside she ran to her room and collapsed in exhaustion. _'Whew, what a day!' _Mirror Mew snickered. _"Tell me about it!" _The dark Mew paused for a second. _"Why are you always so damn eager to accept people?"_ Sola shut her eyes.

_'It's what I do; we were accepted for who we were, why can't we do the same for other people?' _Came the mental response. Mirror Mew crossed her arms, exhaled in a way that said "that's not much of an answer, but I see what you mean" and then she touched the back of her left paw, tracing over the scar that was hidden beneath her fur. That was one of half a dozen she had gotten the night that she made Sola so mad that the good Mew had broken a plate, tried to clean it up, cut herself several times, and nearly bled to death.

Sola caught her doing it. _'Things change, you weren't to blame that night. You only made me break the plate; I was the one who had the bright idea to clean it up by hand.'_

Caught in the act, the female froze, glanced at the paw, which was still tracing the scar, and immediately stopped. _"That's a new habit of mine. Lately I can feel the scars, odd, but it's as though they're still fresh."_

Sola nodded, _'Because they are,' _

_"Huh? What do you mean? That was nearly a month and a half ago, the wounds are healed, and the scars are old."_

Sola shook her head, smiling wanly. _'The wounds are healed physically, but your guilt makes them fresh in your mind.' _

_"What wisdom! Where did you learn these things?" _Mirror Mew asked, curiously. Since when was her Twain a philosopher?

'_I'm not sure; I guess throughout the past I've gained insight on things.'_

Mirror Mew smiled, _"Twain,"_

'_Hmm?'_

"_Thank you,"_ She whispered.

'_For what?'_

"_For giving me another chance, for making me see the error of my ways, for comforting me, need I go on?"_

The Mew grinned cockily, _'Perhaps, I enjoy hearing you praise me.'_

"_Yeah? Well, maybe some other time, I'm tired." _Mirror Mew said, sitting down and rubbing at the edge of an ear.

Sola smiled and nodded. Things were starting to go her way. Maybe, just maybe, she'd see if she could get Puccha to fall for her. But for now, she was content to sit there, in front of her bed, listening to her other half snore.

* * *

There you have it, another Sola story finished. Soon it will all revolve around our favorite Mew vying for her beloved Pikachu to requite the feelings she has for him. Yup, She's going to try her hardest to win Puccha's love, no matter how long it takes to get the naïve little chu to notice her as more than just a friend.

I've had this whole story written for a long time, but I'm so damn busy that these things just sit around gathering dust. So when I stumbled upon this, I noticed that it needed about a few more lines and it would be complete, so I finished it.


End file.
